Music - PBM: One Sip At A Time
 Terry Bartley  rates it:    Community rates it: (no ratings yet)
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As I've made quite obvious during my time as a reviewer here at BumsCorner, I enjoy many different kinds of music. In the same vain, I also really enjoy when a few different genres I enjoy get blended together. PBM is a band that does that for me, with their album “One Sip At A Time.”

When you look at a picture of PBM, they look like a ska band. They have your traditional punk instruments, a lead guitar, rhythm guitar/lead singer, bass guitar, drums, then you have the trumpet and the trombone. Like I said, they appear to be a ska band, but they aren't. When I listen to them I hear a pop/rock band that happens to have horns, and it sounds awesome.

If I had to try to describe their sound, I would have to say it sounds like Weird Al singing They Might Be Giants songs, and I mean that in a good way. The lead sings, Nate Castle, doesn't sound exactly like Weird Al, but I do hear similarities. Nate also doubles as the band's songwriter, and I really enjoy his songs. He writes some really clever lyrics about subjects I've not thought about in years, things like “Turn my songs to metal like Vanilla Ice.”

I would listen to PBM simply because of the smart songwriting, but to say that's the only reason I like them would be a terrible lie. They also have really catchy songs. Its cool to listen to, with the catchy guitar riff in the beginning, then the beat picks up and the horn line plays the guitar riff, ya' gotta love ska style. On that not, the horn line is pretty amazing. They have great harmonies and the two brass instruments really complement each other.

Its tough to pick stand-out tracks here because they are all so good. If I had to pick three, and I do, because its what I do, I would have to go with “When Mark Met Jen,” since its like their first single, “Something to Consider,” and “Swingin' Left,” just to show you that not all their stuff is upbeat.

“When Mark Met Jen” opens up the entire CD with a mellow acoustic guitar, very coffee shop-isk. Then all that changes when the entire band chimes in and the horns start blowing, and you get an idea of what PBM is all about. This song has very subtle Christian undertones and I have to say it is the first Christian song I've heard that refers to someone as a “smart ass,” but as a jaded college student, I actually kinda enjoyed it.

“Something To Consider” is the closest to hard PBM gets. This song has very powerful horns and strong anti-conformity lyrics. The lyrics are very reminiscent of Good Charlotte's “The Anthem” except you can actually believe it when PBM says it, because they are truly unique.

One of the few real slow songs on all of “One Sip At A Time” is “Swingin' Left.” This song also showcases Nate's They Might Be Giants style of writing. I'd love to tell you what this song is really about, but I have no clue, I know that swingin' left if referring to politics, but that is far from what all the lyrics revolve around. I don't mind though, it a very mellow song that I could just chill to, you don't need to listen to the lyrics. I'd also like to point out some amazing back-up vocals on this song by their guitar player Mike Thomas, he has a great voice and it really isn't showcased much on the album, but hey, what 'cha gonna do.

All in all, PBM is a very versatile and unique band. I can't say enough about them, they've produced some already great music and they still have a lot of potential. So just to leave them some growing room for their next album, I'm going to give “One Sip At A Time” 4 out of 5 cans. I love it when bands get “horny.”

Added:  Monday, May 01, 2006

Related Link:  PBM Music
Language: eng[ Did you find this review helpful?  Yes  No ]
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